Tactical Movement

Mission Enemy Troop Time-Terrain

Movement Techniques and Formations

 Movement Formations
  1. A formation is a relationship in space.
  2. A movement technique is a relationship in time.

 

 

  1. Techniques
    1. Traveling – Just continue at a constant rate of march
    2. Traveling overwatch – more dispersion between troops at a slower rate and the trail unit stops and observes periodically.
    3. Bounding overwatch
      1. Successive
      2. alternating

  1. Troop Leading Procedures
    1. Receive the Mission
    2. Issue a Warning Order
    3. Make a Tentative Plan
    4. Start Necessary Movement
    5. Reconnoiter
    6. Complete the Plan
    7. Issue the Order
    8. Supervise and Refine
     More Troop Leading Procedures
  2. Receiving the Mission
    3.
  3. Includes warning orders, OPORD, etc.
    1. Issuance of Warning Order
    2. Preparation for the mission,
    3. Indication of time of operation and when and where the complete order will be issued
    4. Any specific instructions
  4. Tentative Plan
    1. Utilize METT-T
    2. (mission, enemy, terrain and weather, troops availability, and time)
    3. Courses of action (at least 2 different)
    4. Continually refine the plans
  5. Necessary Movement
    1. Arrangements made ahead of time for the pre-positioning of personnel and equipment needed to successfully
    2. begin the mission
    3. Ensure that movement will not conflict with movement or positioning of other units
  6. Reconnoiter
    1. Conduct personal reconnaissance
    2. Coordinate with supporting units
    3. Walk terrain, analyze recon photos, examine maps, etc.
  7. Plan Completion: ensure preliminary plans which were selected have been successfully completed
  8. Issue Order
    1. Utilize proper format
    2. Make orders concise and accurate
    3. Ask any questions that need to be answered beforehand
    4. Conduct time check, ensure everyone's (notably key personnel) watches are set to same time
  9. Supervise and Refine
    1. Check the priority of things to do
    2. Make necessary corrections and adjustments
    3. Accomplish the mission
    4. Conduct any inspections, trials or rehearsals

     

  10. Types of Contact:
    1. Observation
    2. Contact by fire
  11. Purpose of the Offense: Close with the enemy by fire and maneuver and destroy him and his will to fight
  12. Five Fundamentals of Offense:
    1. See the battlefield
    2. Use weapons to best advantage
    3. Concentrate combat power against enemy weakness
    4. Maintain momentum
    5. Provide fire support
  13. Formations:
    1. fire team formations
    2. wedge
      1. 10 meter interval, basic formation
      2. allows good flexibility and security as well as the ability to fire in all directions
    3. file
      1. utilized when visibility is poor, flexibility and security not as good as wedge formation
      2. fire to the front and the rear is blocked
    4. squad formations
    5. squad column
      1. allows for good control and maneuver, good flexibility and all around security
      2. allows good fire to the flanks
    6. squad line
      1. provides maximum fire power to the front
      2. maneuverability limited
      3. poor rear and flank security, poor fire to the flanks
    7. squad file
      1. used in close, difficult terrain, or in poor visibility
      2. difficult to maneuver, but very good control
      3. fire to the front and rear blocked
    8. platoon formations
    9. platoon column
      1. allows good maneuver and flexibility
      2. primary formation
      3. allows good fire to the flanks and good movement
    10. platoon line, squads on line
      1. provides maximum fire to the front
      2. difficult to control, minimal amount of maneurverability
      3. slow movement
    11. platoon line, squads in column
      1. medium amount of control and flexibility
      2. provides good fire to the front and rear
    12. platoon vee
      1. used when contact is expected
      2. control is difficult, provides heavy fire to front and flanks
      3. medium amount of flexibility, movement is slow
    13. platoon wedge
      1. used when contact is not expected
      2. provides heavy fire to front and flanks, contact will be with one element
      3. slow movement
    14. platoon file
      1. used when visibility is poor
      2. easy to control, difficult to maneuver
      3. fastest movement
  14. Platoon Movement Techniques
    1. Traveling
      1. used when contact with the enemy is unlikely
      2. allows for good control and speed
      3. least amount of dispersion and security
    2. Traveling Overwatch
      1. used when contact with the enemy is possible
      2. slower speed, and less control
      3. greater dispersion and security
    3. Bounding Overwatch
      1. used when contact with the enemy is expected
      2. slowest speed, and most control
      3. greatest dispersion and security
  15. Fundamentals of Movements
    1. Move on covered and concealed route
    2. Do not move directly from covered positions
    3. Avoid likely ambush sites and danger areas
    4. Enforce camouflage, noise, and light discipline
    5. Maintain all around security with air guards
    6. Make contact with smallest element possible
  16. Fundamentals of Conducting Movement to Contact
    1. Orient movement on the objective
    2. Plan to make contact with smallest element possible
    3. Report all information immediately and accurately
    4. Retain freedom of maneuver
    5. Gain and maintain contact
  17. Platoon Scheme of Maneuver Considerations
    1. Route
    2. Order and technique of movement
    3. Actions of enemy contact
    4. Deployment into the assault positions
    5. Actions during the assault
    6. Action on objective
    7. Consolidation
    8. Reorganization
    9. Control Measures
  18. Defense Plan:
    1. Security
    2. Place key weapons
    3. Prepare positions
    4. Integrate indirect fire
    5. Communications
    6. Designate supply, prisoner of war, and casuality points
  19. Fundamentals of the Defense:
    1. Defeat enemy attack
    2. Gain time
    3. Concentrate forces
    4. Control key terrain
    5. Wear down enemy, prepare for offensive
    6. Retain objectives
  20. Fighting Positions:
    1. One soldier fighting position- 10m apart
    2. Two soldier fighting position- 20m apart
    3. A platoon can defend up to a 400 m wide front
    4. types of positions
    5. Main/Primary - First position, entirely dug in (foxhole)
    6. Alternate - Same field of fire as primary, located approximately 50m behind primary position. Hasty
    7. fighting position.
    8. Supplementary - Different fields of fire than primary and alternate. Located off to one side of the primary.
    9. Hasty fighting position.
    10. Recon Patrols:
    11. Provide timely and accurate information on enemy and terrain
    12. Used to confirm the leader's plan before it is executed
    13. Main objectives are to acquire information and remain undetected
    14. Information is reported in a SALUTE report
    15. Recon team organized into 3 elements: HQ, security team, recon team
    16. Types
      1. Area - conducted to get information about a specific location and the area around it
      2. Zone - conducted to get information on the enemy, terrain, and routes within a specific zone
      3. Route - conducted on a specific route to ensure safety, check terrain, etc.
  21. Indirect Fire Plan:
    1. CDR and fire support team conduct most of the planning
    2. make use of TRPs (Target Reference Points)
    3. provide fire on enemy avenues of approach
    4. weapons are synchronized for maximum effect
    5. plan rate of fire and control
  22. Crew Served Weapons:
    1. Platoon leader should assign the placement of these weapons
    2. FPL (Final Protective Line) is an established line at which grazing fire will be placed to stop an enemy assault
    3. PDF (Principle Direction of Fire) is a priority direction of fire assigned to cover an area which provides good fields
    4. of fire or has a likely avenue of approach
    5. Each weapon is given a primary and secondary sector of fire. These sectors overlap each other and adjacent
    6. platoon sectors of fire. Secondary sectors of fire are utilized if there are no targets in the primary sector of fire.
    7. Primary sector includes FPL and PDF, weapons are sighted on FPL and PDF if they are not engaging other
    8. targets
  23. Sector Sketches
    1. main terrain features in field of fires and distances to them
    2. each primary fighting position and sectors of fire must be included
    3. the type of weapon in each position should be indicated
    4. also included in sketches:
    5. LP/OP positions
    6. dead space
    7. obstacles
    8. mines and booby traps
    9. TRPs
    10. alternate and supplementary positions
    11. SQD/PLT indentification, date, time, direction of magnetic north
  24. 5 point contingency plan (GO-TWA)
    1. must always do a contingency plan before you leave
    2. G-where you are going
    3. O-others you are taking with you
    4. T-time, how long will you be gone
    5. W-what should happen if you don't come back
    6. A-actions that should be taken upon enemy contact
  25. Additional Information:
    1. active security includes OPs, patrols and early warning devices
    2. passive security includes noise, light and litter discipline, camouflage, minimum radio usage
    3. Full strength rifle platoon:
    4. 45 soldiers total
    5. 3 rifle squads (11 soldiers each)
    6. 1 SQD LDR, 2 Fire Team LDRs, 4 Riflemen, 2 Automatic Riflemen, 2 Grenadiers
    7. PLT HQ (9 soldiers)
    8. PLT LDR, PLT SGT, RTO, 2 M60 teams (usually 2 soldiers each), Medic, FO
    9. Attachments (3 soldiers)
    10. M60's provide 60% of platoon's firepower